Usually, when you find out that you need corrective lenses and choose contacts to fix the problem, you get your prescription from the eye doctor, get it filled and go on with your day. Not many people are actually interested in understanding all the different terms and what they mean when it comes to their contact lens prescription. Of course, it isn't completely necessary to understand the prescription as the experts are more than willing to take care of your needs, but having more knowledge about what's going on with your own body is never a bad thing. Learning more about your contact lens prescription will help give you a more complete understanding of your eye health.
On most prescriptions for contact lenses, you'll see one column marked OS and one marked OD. OS is Latin for oculus sinister, for the left eye and OD means oculus dexter, for the right eye. The power of the contacts is measured in diopters and this number refers to how much vision correction you need. If you see a minus sign, it indicates nearsightedness and a plus sign means farsightedness. If it reads zero or plano, it means no correction is necessary. This is sometimes the case with colored contact lenses.
Some other things you'll notice on a contact lens prescription are the base curve, which is the curve on the back side of the lens that's measured in millimeters, and the diameter of the lens in millimeters. The brand of the contact lenses will also be included on the prescription. If you suffer from astigmatism, you'll see the words cylinder and axis somewhere on the prescription. Cylinder measures the magnitude of the astigmatism and axis measures the orientation of the cylinder that is required. A plus sign for the cylinder measurement signifies hyperoptic, while a minus sign means myopic. The axis is measured in degrees. If you've been prescribed bifocal contacts, you'll also see a measurement called Add Power, which indicates the power of the bifocal part of the lens.
It's important to get your contact lens prescription from a reputable eye doctor, and to go through all the necessary steps in order to fill it. If the eye care place you use offers cheap contacts, just ensure they are of a good quality before getting your prescription. The same is true for cheap contacts you get online or anywhere else. If you have any questions about any of the terms and measurements on your prescription, feel free to ask your eye doctor what they mean. You're entitled to know what's happening with your own body, so asking questions should be a part of all your doctor/patient interactions.
If you receive a contact lens prescription from your eye doctor, but for some reason don't end up filling it before a year has passed, make another appointment before you do. You may even want to make an appointment if it's been six months, just to be sure the power of the lenses should still be the same. Once you become a more active participant in the process, you'll have a better understanding of how your vision is being corrected and how contacts work to make you see more clearly.
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